Just Alice
by RogueMetamorph
Summary: "Because of my work she lost her mother. I don't want her to lose her father too... You don't abandon family," Jefferson never thought portal jumping would be the reason he'd lose his Alice but after a job gone wrong, he lost her; left her alone in a strange world to save their daughter. However, the things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end... OC Alice/Jefferson.
1. Just Alice

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own **_**Once Upon A Time**_** (the TV show, the fairytales and etc.) which includes any of its characters, dialogue and story arcs. I also don't own Alice (from Syfy) or Alice in Wonderland or any other book, movie, song, character or dialogue I may have mentioned along the way. I just so happened to use it for nonprofit able fun in my spare time.**

**Author's Note:**** This started out as a One-Shot… then a series of One-Shots… then it was a short story… but now it's a cute little story based on the idea that Alice was Jefferson's wife and Grace's mother and that Alice is still alive.**

* * *

**Just Alice.**

* * *

"If that little girl is your daughter… then who was her mother? A poppy?"

"No,"

"… What was her name?"

"Alice,"

"Alice? You mean… Alice as in Alice in Wonderland? Alice Liddell? Alice of Legend?"

"_Just_ Alice,"


	2. Lost in Wonderland

**Lost in Wonderland.**

* * *

Alice Liddell had only been looking into a mirror. It had been a gorgeous mirror, as wide as the length of her arms with a golden frame. She'd touched the glass and had been shocked to watch as the glass flowed beneath the white silk of her glove. It had barely been a second before the silvery material had surrounded her and she'd been transported through the looking glass.

Her skin felt had felt warm, her clothes feeling as if she'd put them on fresh from having taken them off the line on a hot summers day. She'd opened her eyes to find her feel on a cobblestone road she'd never stood upon before, her eyes taking in the strangest of worlds that she'd ever thought even possible to imagine. And this world made no sense. The rode was a thin strip of cobblestone whilst the grass and mushrooms grew far above her head, the flowers smiling at her or crying like rain down upon her shoulders.

She tried to walk back through the mirror but nothing happened. No matter how hard she hit the mirror od threw herself into it, she couldn't walk back through.

This was all so unbelievable. Maybe she'd gone mad…

So she was heading towards the castle in the hopes of finding someone who could help her… do something useful.

"_And who are you?_"

Alice spun around with a small surprised gasp. Before her was a man in clothes that were just strange enough to not look quite like the suit jackets that she was used to seeing. But he had an interestingly dark look about him that both frightened her and intrigued her, telling her that he wasn't like the men she conversed with at parties or offered their arm to her. He was the type of man that she saw through the window of her carriage or read about in books, the type of man that her mother didn't approve of in the slightest. However, Alice couldn't help but be intrigued. She also couldn't help but feel that small glimmer of hope that this man might give her a chance of reaching her home again… or at the very least hope to find a place that resembled some sort of sanity.

He was still waiting for her to answer though he didn't seem as annoyed as he might have been… maybe he was used to this sort of reaction to him? Maybe he knew that she didn't belong here…

"Alice," she breathed, clearing her throat. "My name is Alice,"

A flower perked up from out of the grass; "Her name is Alice-"

"-Alice-" a giant beetle added.

Another flower perked up. "-the Alice-"

"-the Alice of Liddell-"

"-the Alice of Little-"

"-the Alice of the Little Legend-"

"-the Bigger than Little Legend-"

"-the Alice of the Normally Sized Legend!"

Alice frowned, looking back at the man. "_Just_ Alice,"

"Just Alice," all the creatures surrounding the two agreed. "Just Alice. Just Alice. Just Alice. Just Alice. Just Alice- Just Alice- Just Alice- Just Alice! Just Alice! Just Alice! Just Al- "

"_Well_," the man interrupted, glaring around at the flower and beetle. "_Just_ Alice. Where is it that you came from?"

"Another world entirely from this one," Alice told him as she glanced around them. "But I have no idea what this world is… or where I am. I just want to go home. I was born in London… London, England?"

The man frowned at her and shook his head. "Sorry,"

She groaned, crossing her arms over her chest. "Wonderful,"

She tried to ignore the way that he was studying her, as if studying a gem in the light or watching a bug under glass. So she started walking down the path again, ignoring him and the sounds of his footsteps as he followed after her. However, there was only so much one can ignore when they are being followed.

"Would you stop that?"

She came face to chest with him, stopping him so abruptly that he nearly tripped into her. She took some satisfaction from watching him right himself before she continued glaring up at him. He frowned at her, dusting off some invisible dust from his right sleeve before looking down at her again, trying to show that he wasn't surprised at all. A mad man he was.

"What is it that you want?" she asked.

"Well, Just Alice. I was following you to see where it was a silly little thing like you was going-"

"I'm not a silly little thing," Alice interrupted, thoroughly insulted.

"-when I realized that you were heading towards the castle,"

Alice looked over her shoulder at the castle in the distance, positioned in the center of a giant maze, blood red hearts sprinkled here and there. It wasn't the most welcoming sight despite the feigned sweetness of the castle but there was very little else Alice could do.

"And?"

"This is a dangerous place and that castle is probably the most dangerous,"

"And where do you suggest I go instead?" Alice questioned him, crossing her arms over her chest. "I don't exactly have a guide to show me elsewhere,"

He seemed to debate on her words, looking over her shoulder before looking at her again. "I might be able to rectify that,"

Alice waited, looking up at him expectantly before he sighed in obvious annoyance.

"I could help you… offer you my services,"

"And what services are those?"

"I'm a jumper," he told her matter-of-factly, stepping toward her. "I can show you the way out,"

"You mean the mirror?" she asked him, watching as a surprised expression came over his face. "That's the way I came to be here… it wouldn't let me back through,"

"Did you try to walk through it?"

"Yes, of course I did!" Alice exclaimed. "I damn near broke the thing,"

The man rolled his eyes at her in annoyance. "You hit it, didn't you?"

"What?"

"You _hit_ it," he nearly laughed, walking away from her. "You don't hit the looking glass. The magic of the portals can be touchy; it _lets_ you walk through, you don't just simply walk through it,"

Alice rolled her eyes. "This place is mad,"

"To say the least," he muttered before turning on his heels to face her again. "I'll show you back to the looking glass and help you through,"

"You would do that?" she questioned suspiciously. "Why? What do you want in return?"

He smiled, stalking slowly up to her, looking her up and down. "Nothing… Besides, do I need a reason to help a girl in a _very_ wet dress?"

Alice's eyes widened as she glanced down at her damp dress. It hadn't been that way before the last flower she'd met had started crying on her. The man's eyes on her made her uncomfortable but she didn't dignify him with covering herself. She knew he couldn't see anything; he was just trying to bait her. So she turned around, determined to leave him behind and find her own way if he wasn't going to take her seriously.

"Wait," he sighed, trying not to chuckle.

She didn't stop, just kept walking.

"Alice. _Stop_,"

It was only when she heard the horrible shriek that she listened to him. She looked up to her left to find a large creature perched on a hill, looking down at her intently. It looked like a dragon from the books she'd read but had a head that was not unlike a slug's with gnashing teeth out of a mouth that might not have been there.

"Don't move," he breathed, his breath ghosting past her cheek as she stepped towards her, the warmth of his body at her back.

She wanted to yell at _him_ for not following his own advice but she figured that not moving really was the best option. She watched as the creature eyed her for a long moment, its teeth clicking against each other before it suddenly wailed.

"Run!"

She took off as fast as she could, kicking off her high heeled shoes in the midst of it all. She kept pace with the man, her breath huffing out in great puffs as she did so. The ground shook as she listened to the creature running after them, its wails piercing the air in the loudest of ways. She tripped over her own skirts as she tried to escape in vain, being caught off guard when a great force knocked her off of her feet. She landed on her back, looking up as the creature followed her across the ground, its head snaking towards her curiously. She kicked a foot out, catching the eye with her heel and causing a shriek to pierce the air and for her ears to hurt. However, it didn't keep her from getting up and taking off again, running towards an outcropping of rock she hoped to hide in.

She screamed when suddenly found herself being pulled to the ground by a hand on her ankle, pulling her down into a hole. She would have scrambled back out if not for the arms that wrapped around her or the hand over her mouth as the thundering footsteps came closer. She froze against the man, staring up into his face as he ignored her, his attention solely on the creature looking for them. She listen as well, feeling the vibrations in the ground becoming more and more violent until they began to slowly fade with a few wailing shrieks before it died away completely.

They waited another minute before the man released her, climbing out of the hole. She frowned up at him until he rolled his eyes and reached a hand in for her. She took it, pulling herself up to stand beside him, dusting herself off.

"Thank you," she told him, a bit disgruntled but none the less thankful.

He frowned down at her, but nodded. "Welcome,"

She looked around, trying to ignore the growing suspicion that she would indeed need to endure the man to find her way home. "Fine…" she sighed, not daring to look at him. "And what might I call you?"

"Call me Hatter," he answered, a smirk in his voice.


	3. Wandering in Wonderland

**Wandering in Wonderland.**

* * *

It took longer than they expected to to get back to the looking glass. It should have been relatively quick to get back to the portal except that Wonderland was never as it seemed despite its childlike makeup. It was always shifting on a wimp which left Jefferson and Alice walking for a very long time. It also didn't help that the Queen's guards had caught wind that there were intruders in Wonderland and had come after them.

"I'm not getting on that!" Alice yelled, ignoring the hand that the Hatter extended to her as he sat upon what Alice might have called a dog in her own world.

Whilst the guards had been searching for them, they'd left their animals unattended and now Hatter was trying to convince her to get on one. She was almost positive she'd rather get caught than have to climb aboard the giant creature.

"It's perfectly safe," the Hatter assured her, glancing up at the oncoming guards. "… Safe-ish,"

"I have a thing about riding wild animals!"

"I have a thing about sharp things being pointed at me!" Hatter yelled down at her, leaning down until his face was inches from hers. "Listen to me; I wouldn't let you do it if I didn't think you'd be safe,"

Alice took a breath in surprise before glancing back at the guards running toward her. In a huff, she took the Hatter's hand and swung aboard the animal's back, gripping his waist tightly as Hatter got them on their way. She kept her face pressed against his back no matter what sounds the animal made or the sounds of angry yells that met her ears. The only time she dared to look up was when she felt little stings on her skin.

"Ow!" she cried, swatting at the little creatures fluttering around her, taking little bites out of the skin that they could get out. She did her best to swat at them with one hand, trying to keep them off of Hatter as well as he steered the beast beneath them. "What are these things?"

"Cards!"

She nearly snorted. "Of course they are,"

When they finally fell away from them she was extremely grateful. She returned to her place at the Hatter's back, staying there until the sounds of the guards stopped and the animal beneath lumbered to a halt beneath her.

"We're here,"

Alice lifted her head from his shoulder and looked around, refusing to let go of his waste until she was sure that there was no dangers around… or that the animal beneath them wasn't going to do anymore moving. He was patient with her though, as he'd been for most of the trip despite how much she knew it pained him sometimes, and waited for her to let go before getting down. He wasn't so cruel as to leave her up there either but helped her down, his hands on her waist as he guided her off the beast and set her on the ground. She tried to ignore their proximity and was doing a good job until she saw the blood cuts on his face.

"Here," she began, pulling off her gloves to use them to wipe away the blood.

He hissed at her when she touched the first one, jerking his head way. "Leave it be. I'm fine,"

"Don't be stupid," Alice frowned, swatting away his hand when he reached up to stop her next attempt to clean up the deep cuts caused by the cards. He jerked away again but this time she reached up with her other hand and grabbed the back of his head, threading her fingers through his hair before he could get too far. His eyes widened at her but again she ignored him, continuing her work to clean the blood off his face.

As she continued to work, even having to go as far as pluck a piece of a playing card out of his cheek just below his right eye, she noticed that he relaxed. She didn't have to hold him where he was though she didn't remove her hand from the back of his head. She kept him there until all was left was think angry cuts, no trickles of blood or anything else.

"There you are," she told him, finally releasing him to place the blood gloves in her dress pocket.

"Thank goodness," he exclaimed turning towards the looking glass. "Here we are. You can go now,"

Alice frowned stepping towards the looking glass. She was still doubtful that it would world but… she had to give it a try. She moved to tap the glass when the Hatter's hand shot up and grabbed her wrist, giving her a frown. She rolled her eyes, getting him to release her before moving to touch the looking glass again, this time more gently.

She jerked her hand back when the glass began to shift under her fingers in a way that she recognized. She looked up at Hatter in shock to find him smiling at her, as if he were watching a baby find their feet for the first time.

"It works,"

"Yes, it does,"

Alice smiled up at him. "That's amazing,"

The Hatter couldn't hold back the chuckle before he nodded. "It can be,"

"You do this all the time? Jumping and walking through mirrors,"

He nodded. "It's a little less primitive than you make it sound but yes,"

"And there are other worlds?" Alice asked, eyeing the looking glass as if she could see those worlds in the depths of it.

"Yes,"

"Have you been to them all?"

"Most of them,"

Alice almost felt sad at that… that he could go to all those different worlds while she'd only ever be able to see this one that she was in. She envied him his ability to go anywhere at a whim and see the things she couldn't. She could never possibly imagine all of those worlds.

"Well," she breathed, shaking her head as if to rid herself of these ideas. "I think I've had enough of Wonderland for a lifetime,"

"Yes. I'm sure you have," Hatter nodded with a smile. "Still we had a laugh, some good times… obviously among the bad times,"

"Yes," Alice smiled. "Yes, we did,"

The Hatter nodded back awkwardly before reaching a hand out as if to shake hers. She made as if to take it before she stepped past it and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him to her. He stiffened in her arms but he eventually placed his hands on her back, patting her awkwardly before she finally let him go.

"Well…" Hatter murmured. "Goodbye… Just Alice,"

She chuckled. "Goodbye, Hatter,"

She turned and gently stepped up to the looking glass, disturbing the silvery material before she stepped into it. The same warmth came over her as she stepped through, her skin becoming almost blistering hot when she finally landed on her feet. However, when she opened her eyes she found that she wasn't in the destination she'd expected.

"_How are you here?_"

She turned around to find Hatter standing behind her, having just appeared through the looking glass after her. He seemed just as shocked as she was to find her there, his normally sarcastic expression replaced with wide eyes.

"What is this place?" Alice asked, glancing around at the circular room of doors.

"This is a place between worlds," he answered mechanically. "Inside my hat,"

"Inside your hat?" she asked, turning back to him in confusion. "Can I get home from here?"

"No… your world has no magic and my hat can only take you to worlds with it,"

"Oh," she breathed looking around at the room again.

What was she to do now? Even though she'd been thinking about how she wanted to travel all the different worlds, her home had been the only one she knew. She'd been in Wonderland for barely a day and she'd needed the help of a man that had thought her wet dress payment enough for helping her. Granted, she did think a great deal more of him now, it wasn't likely that he would just agree to take her along with him. She needed to get home where she was safe… but she couldn't.

"What's the matter?"

"What will I do if I get stuck here, Hatter?" she asked him, turning to look up at him. "What will happen to me?"

"Then I'll make sure you're alright," he said without pause.


	4. Visited in the Enchanted Forest

**Visited in the Enchanted Forest.**

* * *

Alice opened the door to find a gorgeous woman standing on the other side in an outfit of black and feathers. This was the Evil Queen that the Hatter had told her about so many times, about her magic and her dark nature. It made Alice regret opening the door to the woman.

"Hello, Alice," the woman smiled kindly. "May I come in?"

Alice frowned but let the woman in anyway, taking a step away from the door to give the woman enough room to sweep in. She looked around the house, taking in every aspect of the Hatter's house as if it were more important than the girl who'd let her in. Alice knew this trick from her own world, the queen trying to make Alice feel insignificant. It almost made Alice feel better that the evil queen did in fact have some human qualities that she recognized.

"The Hatter is to town at the moment," Alice told the queen softly, shutting the door before following the woman. "I don't know when he'll be back,"

"Then it is a good thing I didn't come here for him," the Evil Queen commented as she fingered one of the white roses sitting on a vase on the table. "I can here for you,"

That gave Alice pause, briefly wondering for her safety.

"Oh don't worry, my dear," the Evil Queen waved her off with a deceptively evil smile. "I'm not here to hurt you. I'm here to offer you a deal,"

"A deal?"

"Yes. I want to send you where you belong,"

Alice frowned, crossing her arms over her chest as she eyed the woman. "Really?"

"Yes," the queen smiled, turning to face her completely since the first time she'd entered the house. "I wish to send you where you belong,"

"And why would you do that?" Alice asked, having learned even before she dropped into Wonderland that people rarely did things for others unless the received something in return. "What is it that you wish to accomplish? Because I don't have anything to pay you with and you rightly know this fact… what do you want?"

The Evil Queen's got as wide as the Cheshire Cat's at a second's notice. "You're a smart girl, Alice. I commend you,"

"And you'll tell me the truth,"

This caused the queen's smile to stiffen a bit before she nodded her head. "Fine. I won't lie to you. I want you gone so that Jefferson will return to his work and I can travel between worlds again,"

It was true that he'd stopped portal jumping. After the fiasco in Neverland when she'd gotten caught up with the Lost Boys and nearly killed by someone of the poison on the island, the Hatter hadn't done any portal jumping. Every time a job would come to him he'd turn it away before going to make himself some tea which he'd drink alone near a window. She'd known after the first job he turned down that it had been because of her.

"Don't you notice the change in him? He used to portal jump for fun. And then you show up? Now he won't even do one jump for work. You don't you think that you've ruined things?"

"I've ruined nothing," Alice snapped. "It's his own choice to stop jumping. He can leave me here and jump anytime he likes. Maybe he just is tired of it all,"

The Evil Queen grinned, stalking towards her. "You really don't know him well, do you?"

Alice frowned. In fact, she knew her Hatter better than what the Evil Queen thought or what Hatter wanted her to. She'd known his name for a few months now but had refused the name that he hadn't offered her. She knew that he only made his tea for after her portal jumped, as if it were a celebration that he'd survived or a way for him to calm down after. She knew that liked being brooding and sad rather than happy, his face almost breaking whenever she forced him to laugh. She knew that he preferred the simple portal jumping jobs to the ones that had him running at full kilt towards the portals and back to the Enchanted Forest. She knew that he liked her more than he wanted to admit to her, to even himself. He'd accidently let her in through his outer defenses and at the thought of losing her, he'd done the only thing he could think of to keep her safe even if it was stupid.

He'd stopped portal jumping.

"I can send you where you belong," the Evil Queen repeated, reaching a hand out to her. "Just give me your hand and we'll be on our way,"

"No,"

The woman's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

"Where I belong," Alice repeated with a snort. "You don't know where I'm from, never did you say _back_ where I belong or _back home_. I know word tricks better than you might think,"

The Evil Queen sneered at her. "You think I would do that?"

"I think you want your Hatter back," Alice told her, stepping closer to the woman. "I think that you'd throw me in a dungeon or kill me and bury me at the bottom of a deep pit- _where I belong_- and tell Hatter that I ran away from him or was killed by something or sometime else that would make me sound like a brat. You would do this if you thought that would gain you your Hatter,"

The Evil Queen frowned at her before she turned and headed for the door, only stopping when she'd reached it. "If you are so smart, little Alice, then you should understand that without his ability to portal jump… I have absolutely no use for Jefferson,"

Alice glared as the Evil Queen looked at her over her shoulder.

"Wouldn't it be a shame if we both lost our dear Hatter?"


	5. Found in the Enchanted Forest

**Found in the Enchanted Forest.**

* * *

Alice'd been living in the Enchanted Forest for a month now and found that she missed her Hatter terribly. Traveling through his hat with him and seeing the strange new worlds had been so remarkable. Having the Hatter explain to her what each of the worlds was like and the rules only made it that much better. She missed his snarky comments, the way that he sometimes got tired of asking her questions though he always expected them, she missed the way he'd toss his hat into the air after a trip and how it would land perfectly on his head.

And she missed his tea.

It was true that it had been their decision for her to stop portal jumping with him. After the fiasco in Neverland, the Hatter would turn every job away. She'd known after the first job he turned down that it had been because of her. And then the Evil Queen had come to rid herself of Alice and had told her her choices; leave the Hatter or be his death. So she told her Hatter that she was going to find her own way, move into an abandoned cottage outside of the village…

But that didn't keep her from missing the life she'd had with him.

Regardless, she'd made her decision and was no living with it. Now she sat in her small cottage, covered in head to toe in flour after baking bread, cakes and pies. It was something she enjoyed doing more than the sewing that she actually needed to do that was lying on the trunk at the base of her bed. She would sell the treats at the market, sometimes hands out some of the small cakes to the friends she had in town or to the children. But she always kept one small cake for herself to have with her tea.

Probably one of the silliest things about missing the Hatter was how much she missed his tea.

The knock that sounded on her door surprised her, bringing her to her feet with a dagger that she shoved up her sleeve as she stepped towards the door. She'd learned quickly that no matter what world that you found yourself in, every place was dangerous and one could never be too careful.

"_Alice?_"

She froze with her hand on the doorknob, too shocked to move when she heard his voice. It took her a full fifteen second before she could get the door open. By then her Hatter was walking away from her house down the path towards the village with slouched shoulders.

"Hatter!"

She was running for him, tossing the dagger away as she did. He barely turned in time to catch her and keep them from falling over into the dirt. She hugged him close to her, pressing her face into the scarf around his neck, taking in a deep breath of him. Leather and magic. He in turn wrapped his arms around her waist, his hold on her tight.

"Finally," he breathed as if in relief.

"You have no idea how much I've missed you," she told him, not daring to let him go until he forced her to.

And he didn't. "I've missed you,"

She felt him turn his head before she found herself caught up in a kiss. She clutched him tighter in surprise but kissed him back without restraint. Traveling with her Hatter had taught her quite a few things but it had also forced her to let go of a few of her old conventions and behaviors. She knew that sometimes politeness and etiquette if you wanted to survive.

Or get what you wanted.

He pulled away from her slowly, his hot breath blowing in her face the same way she was huffing into his. But they were both smiling despite the lack of oxygen.

"You taste like tea," he commented to her.

"Bad tea,"

"I wouldn't say that,"

"You've ruined me for any other tea," she told him matter-of-factly. "That was rude of you,"

"My apologies, Just Alice,"

She snorted at him, touching her nose to cheek. "Silly, Hatter,"

"My name is Jefferson,"

Alice smiled, kissing his cheek. "I know,"


	6. Together in the Enchanted Forest

**Together in the Enchanted Forest.**

* * *

Jefferson had been lounging in a tall backed seat for the past hour, sipping at his cooled tea even though it didn't taste all that good now. He was watching the woman walking around his room, her body arched as she tried her hardest to get her rag to reach the top of the grandfather clock for a quick wipe. Her one hand braced her against the wall, one foot supporting her weight on her toes and her back arched in the most seductive of ways beneath her pale blue dress. She normally did the cleaning and the cooking for Jefferson though he didn't know why she felt the need. He'd been taking care of himself long before she'd fallen into his life and he would have been much more happy with her sitting next to him. However, he understood that sometimes she felt the need to make up for him taking her in though she needn't have. He cared for her. He would have done anything to make her happy.

And it was in this moment that a few things fell into place for him. They were silly thoughts that should have come to him earlier than a year after he first met her in Wonderland. Watching her move around his home as if she owned the place, how she somehow knew when something was bothering him, how she knew the tricks and rules of his hat better than he did, how she knew just the right place to touch him that would make all his muscles relax.

People just assumed they were married now. They lived together, she accompanied him on most of his jumps, the way he spoke to her, the way she laughed at him, the way they touched each other in public, the way they argued. Everything about them together made others think that they'd long since been married and simply hadn't been invited to the wedding.

"_Congratulations," the Cheshire Cat grinned at the two of them as they stepped into Wonderland nearly a month ago. _

"_Cheshire," Alice greeted before she frowned at him in confusion. "What do you mean?"_

"_I should be insulted to have not been the one to perform the ceremony but you could have at least invited me," the cat frowned as it floated towards them on its back. "I do love weddings,"_

_Alice and Jefferson looked between each other and then down at their hands. It was true that their hands were intertwined, it was even true that Alice's attire had begun to mirror the hatter's unique garb but that didn't point towards marriage. The two frowned at each other, letting go of the other's hand to turn and look at the crazy cat. _

"_And what makes you say that, Cheshire?" _

"_You've changed," the cat answered, flipping back over onto its paws, lying on the air as if it were a comfortable pillow. "Dear Alice has become half the mad that you've lost, Hatter, while you on the other hand have become half the sane that she's lost,"_

_Alice snorted at him. "He's right, Jefferson,"_

"_Both of you are insane," Jefferson then looked over at the crazy cat and frowned. "We aren't married,"_

"_Then you really are the Mad Hatter," the cat grinned, the rest of the feline slowly disappearing in midair. "Make sure she doesn't remain Just Alice," _

Maybe he'd been right.

After all, the thought of tying himself down to one person wasn't so restricting as he might have thought it to have been a year prior. Alice never truly tied him down, if anything he felt tethered to her instead. She was the thing he'd be tying himself to and she had told him many a time that she would be willing to go anywhere he was.

And oh did he love her for that.

"Tea's cold," Alice frowned.

Jefferson looked up from his revelry to find her standing across the table, sipping at a cup of tea she'd poured herself. She had her hands wrapped around the teacup as if in the hopes that her hands wood warm up the drink before she took another drink. Her next sip made her nose crinkle, barely visible over the lip of the teacup before it disappeared and she set the cup down again.

"Would you like me to take it?"

"No. Come, Alice. Sit with me,"

Alice's head tilted as if that would give her the sight to understand why he wanted her to sit with him. She shouldn't have been so confused by the request considering that they would sometimes spend days in bed talking to each other about nothing but painted flowers and un-birthdays. Maybe it was his expression that made her cautious as she sat down in the chair next to his, the chair that she'd claimed as her own long ago.

"Marry me,"

She'd been fixing her shirts, flattening them against her legs when her hands suddenly froze against the fabric. He watched her shoulders twitch, her back straighten and then an almost slowness as she looked up into his face. She looked at him with her eyes slightly wider than usually with a mix of surprise and wonder. Maybe she was just as curious as he was at the thought of marriage and had known just how strange it was for him to come to such a decision.

But it didn't change anything for him.

Whatever she was thinking, she didn't say it aloud. So in the silence he waited for her, taking another sip of his cold tea as if they were both waiting for something as trivial as the grandfather clock to strike one.

"What did you just ask me?"

"I didn't ask you anything," he told her, setting down the teacup and saucer. "I told you to marry me. I'm just waiting for you to agree with me,"

"Why?"

"Because I don't think you can marry someone who isn't consenting,"

"No," Alice sighed, waving him off. "I mean… why do you want to marry me?"

He frowned at her, leaning forward in his seat. "It makes sense, doesn't it?"

"Rarely does anything make sense, Jefferson," she told him, moving to stand up. "Shall I start dinner?"

He was on his feet in a second, grabbing her wrist to pull her around to face him. "Marry me, Alice. You owe me this… You've made me realize how truly alone I've been… You've made me mad,"

Alice smiled up at him, placing a light kiss on his chin. "Is that your way of saying you love me?"

"Maybe,"

"Because then I'd have to tell you…" She turned into him, gripping his lapel to pull him into her, grinning up into his face. "… We're all mad here,"

He couldn't help the grin that appeared on his face before he leaned down to capture her lips with his. He could feel her smiling into his mouth, her hands moving over his shoulders to wrap around him, knocking the hat of his head with a well place pat. He didn't mind, not when he had her in his arms.

When she pulled away- because she was the one to do it- she tossed her head as she headed for the kitchen. "I'll marry you, Hatter," she called back without turning. "Oh. And I'm also having your child,"


	7. Mistakes in the Labyrinth

**Mistakes in the Labyrinth.**

* * *

The stone groaned and quaked as it was disturbed for the first time in a long while. The stone began to shift as dust fell from creases that grew deeper and deeper until the silhouette of a door appeared in the giant yellow stone. Finally the slab gave one last groan before it slowly swung out like a door might, revealing two figures.

The first through the portal was a handsomely dressed made with an embroidered suit jacket over a dark button up and vest, a deep blue scarf wrapped around his neck. The man's hair was a light brown, cropped shot along the sides of his head, the rest flopping forward against his forehead, some of the hair angled out where a hat might have sat. He was attractive even with the serious expression currently on his face as he eyed the world he was stepping into. With one last look around he turned back around to reach his hand out, still a bit apprehensive.

The next and last figure to come through was an elegant looking woman with long golden hair and a dress of the palest blue material. She smiled when she finally had both feet planted on the yellow stone, her smile brightening the man's face until he was no longer frowning. She looked around herself as she stepped away from the looking glass, maintaining the hold on his hand as she placed her other hand on her stomach, swollen beneath the material of her dress.

"We mustn't be long," Jefferson told her, looking around them. "This place is as dangerous as Wonderland and twice as crazy,"

"No place can be as ludicrous as Wonderland," Alice smiled at her husband, lifting her hand to pat his cheek. "But I agree that we should be on our way. This doesn't feel like an overly cheerful place,"

Hand in hand, they approached the impossible labyrinth in search for the ingredients they'd been set to gather from the goblin populated world. It was for the most part a world that kept to itself but there was always the interested traveler or the risk taking jumper willing to cross into the world. It was no surprise that the Mad Hatter and his Alice were the type of people even when expecting a child.

"'ello,"

Their steps stuttered in surprise, causing them to look about before Alice noticed the odd looking caterpillar looking up at them from its perch on the wall. It was a gorgeous little caterpillar that vaguely reminded her of Caterpillar from Wonderland. However, while Caterpillar was an oversize being that answered everything in riddles whilst smoking from a Hookah, this caterpillar was a tad different.

"Hello again," Alice greeted with a small curtsy.

It frowned at her, squinting its small eyes at her as if trying to see her more clearly. "I don't remember knowin' no child carrier, Miss,"

Alice glanced over at Jefferson uneasily before clearing her throat. "Sorry. My mistake,"

"You here for the King?"

"No," Jefferson said with a bit of bite, wrapping an arm around Alice's waist. "We're here for a few things and then we'll be on our way… You don't happen to know the way through this labyrinth, do you?"

"Who me? No, I'm just a worm," the worm sighed, tossing its head happily. "I wouldn't be trying to find my way through this place anyway, especially when she's a child carrier. The Goblin King loves babies. Tried to steal one but a confused yellow and blue girl came through like a tornado and mucked everything up,"

"We'll be on our way soon enough," Alice assured the caterpillar with a kind smile. "It was nice to have met you, Mr. Worm,"

"Mr," the worm snorted, tossing its head again as it crawled into one of the many holes in the labyrinth wall.

"Come along, Alice," Jefferson sighed, pulling her along through the labyrinth. "I hate this this place,"

Alice rolled her eyes. "You hate every place,"

They walked the labyrinth, collecting what they needed until they snuck into the troll village, careful about how saw them as they found the odd goblins, the ones that would help a human. They were few and far between but they were there and Alice greeted them all like old friends even though Jefferson knew she'd never been there before.

"Jefferson," Alice suddenly gasped, one hand on her swollen stomach and the other propping her up against a wall of the nearest hut.

Jefferson was instantly at her side, his hands on her. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"We need to leave,"

Jefferson frowned. "Alice?"

"I'm going into labor," she gasped out to him, her eyes wide with panic. "She's coming-" She suddenly hunched pain rocketing through her lower abdomen. "She's coming _now_,"

One of the odd goblins watched them from their hut before waving a mangled hand at them, tossing a main of straw textured green hair towards the house. Neither of them were inclined to follow the goblin but when Alice was hit by another contractions, they knew they had no choice. Their baby was coming now and there was no chance of making it to the portal in time.

Jefferson lifted Alice up into his arms and carried into the small hut.

It took only thirty short minutes before their baby arrived. A girl. Grace. Alice cradled the small child in her arms as Jefferson crouched at her shoulder, running the pad of his thumb over the child's plump cheek. The spell was broken, however, at the horrible sound of the goblin horns, sounding the arrival of the King to his city in search for the child he knew to be there. Alice clutched her baby close to her chest before tears began to fall anew, turning to look up at her husband.

"The number of people that go into the hat must come out,"

These were the same words that he'd told her a million times since he first met her but now he only seemed confused by them. She ignored his confusion, removing her child from her chest to hand the baby over to him.

"You need to take her, Jefferson. This world is notorious for child napping,"

His eyes seemed to widen as he looked down at their daughter, seeming to finally comprehend what she was saying when he looked back up at her. He frowned, shaking his head as he moved to give their daughter back to her. "I'll stay. You know how to use the hat, Alice. Take Grace and run back to the portal. Come back for me,"

The tears dropped down her cheeks as she shook her head. "I can't go…"

"What are you talking about?" he frowned in confusion. "Of course you can,"

"I'm sorry, love," she said with a shake of her head. "I can't feel my legs… I'm too tired to run right now… you must go,"

Jefferson wasn't one to cry but Alice could see the tears welling up as he looked between his newly found daughter and his wife whom he loved more than anything.

"Take her, Jefferson," Alice breathed, lying her head back against the pillow. "Take care of her,"

Alice's eyes dropped shut and a shuttered breath left her before she was lying still against the makeshift cot. Jefferson's eyes watered furiously but he knew that he couldn't wait if he wanted to save their child… the last remnant of their love.

He leaned forward and kissed Alice's forehead. "Fairfarren, Alice,"

With that, he swept out of the hut and ran back to the portal, their child clutched in his arms.


End file.
